SEO Overview

Experts in search engine optimization can tell you the steps you need to take in order to be one of the top entries on a SERP. In our example, you've already provided the most important component of SEO: excellent content. Without strong content, SEO tips and tricks will provide a temporary boost in your site's ranking at best.

Google search results
If you use your Web site to generate revenue, it's crucial to grab a top spot in a SERP like this one for "skydiving" on Google. An SEO consultant can help you in your endeavor.

In an ideal World Wide Web, your site would rise to the top of every search engine's skydiving SERP based on content alone. While it's possible for your site to take the No. 1 SERP spot on its own, it could take months or even longer. Even worse, there's no guarantee your skydiving site will ever make it as high as the first page of search results.

Look at Me!
Search engines aren't the only way to get noticed. Many people find interesting links by word of mouth or through social networking sites like MySpace or Facebook. A link from a popular blog can increase the number of visitors to a site. If the webmaster is able to provide great content continuously, he or she might see a permanent increase in traffic.

For some webmasters, site traffic isn't that big a deal -- their sites might be a personal project. But for anyone who uses the Web as a way to make money, it's crucial. Whether the webmaster makes money by selling products on the site or through hosting Web advertisements, more visitors translates into more money. That's why some large companies are willing to spend money on SEO consultants -- they can be a worthy investment if the company's site is ranked higher than competitor sites.

SEO techniques rely on how search engines work. Some are legitimate methods that are a great way to let search engines know your Web page exists. Other techniques aren't good ways to get noticed and might involve exploiting a search engine so that it gives the page a higher ranking. Sometimes it's tough to tell if an approach is legitimate. If it seems a little questionable, it's probably a bad idea.

Listen All of Y'all, It's a Sabotage
Search engine companies punish webmasters who use SEO techniques that exploit the way the search engine works. While that's a good thing, there's an unintended side effect: Webmasters can use these same unethical tactics to frame competitors. Using black hat SEO practices to make your competitors look guilty is called SEO sabotage or negative SEO.

Let's take a look at the ways you can get a better spot on SERPs without getting into hot water with search engines. In the SEO business, these approaches are called white hat techniques. Read all about them on the next page.